Summary: Advice from Jesus and you need to know it

It was not a cool morning that day nearly 2000 years ago, as Jesus walked along a hot, dusty road. It was nearing the hottest part of the day and Jesus had been walking with His disciples for a while now.

I want to give an analogy this morning based upon this story of the woman at the well as she met Jesus. In this example of Jesus’ love for humanity, if we look very closely, we will see ourselves as that woman, lost in sin, in a hopeless situation, and ever thirsty for something that we are unable to find, until Jesus comes to us, sits with us, and begins to lead us into the way of salvation and deliverance.

John 4:3-4, "He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria."

It is interesting to note that Jesus chose to go against the acceptable route that most of the Jews would take to get from Jerusalem to the Galilee. The Samaritans were considered as outcasts from Jewish society. I know that most of you would probably already know that they were considered outcasts, but have you ever heard why? Why did the “old-line”, “traditional” and “those who held to the strict Law of Moses” teachings, hold nothing but condescension for their fellow Jews in Samaria?

There were several very good reasons why any good, self-respecting Jew would never mix with those outlaw Jews from Samaria.

Here’s why

first and formost

During the revolt of the 10 tribes and the formation of the Northern Kingdom of the Jews under King Jeroboam, the golden calves were set up in Dan and Bethel to cause people to fall into idolatry and not go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south stayed true to temple worship. (For those of you who have been studying the teaching on the Tabernacle, you know how important it was to the Children of Israel to worship only at the Tabernacle, for there was the only place where the presence of the Lord would be.) Thus the Samaritans were blamed for splitting the nation and bringing in idolatry that led to Israel falling into slavery under the Assyrians and then the Babylonians.

Secondly

While Samaria was under their control, the Assyrians had created colonies of heathenistic and idolatrous people, including priests whose whole purpose was to discourage the Jews from rebuilding their land when the captivity was over.

Thirdly

We will remember from the book of Nehemiah the names of Sanballat and Tobiah, two of the main adversaries that Israel faced when they came back to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Sanballat seems to have been one of these Assyrians spies and the Jews of Jerusalem would never forget the fight they had with Sanballat while trying to reestablish the nation under Nehemiah.

Fourthly

Manasseh, brother to Jaddua the high priest, married Sanballat’s daughter while Sanballat was the governor of Samaria. This added insult to injury and Jaddua was removed from the priesthood. Jaddua begged Sanballat to build a second temple in Mount Gerizim so that he could be the High Priest in Samaria and not have to obey the High Priest at Jerusalem.